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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

DCU Library holds a collection of general and subject-specific reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias and yearbooks.

To find them, search by Keyword in the Library Catalogue – e.g. encyclopaedia philosophy or dictionary chemistry. Remember to try alternative spellings (e.g. encyclopedia ,encyclopedias, dictionaries) as this will alter the number of results you get.

Dictionaries

Print Dictionaries

These are shelved on the 1st Floor in O'Reilly Library and 2nd floor in Cregan Library and are for use in the Library only.

Online Dictionaries (available to DCU community)

Dictionary of Irish Biography - The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, is the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary yet published for Ireland. It contains 9,014 signed biographical articles which describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavour, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport.

Oxford English Dictionary - The Oxford English Dictionary is widely acknowledged to be the ultimate authority on the English language. The largest dictionary of any language in the world, it charts the meaning and evolution of over 600,000 words over the last 1500 years.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography tells the stories of over 50,000 people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to those who died in the year 2000.The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography also includes over 10,000 portrait illustrations.

Oxford Music Online - The Oxford Dictionary of Music: 12,500 entries on composers, performers, conductors, musical terms and forms, instruments, works, venues, and a host of other topics. It provides full-text access to: Grove Music Online: includes The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera , and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. The Oxford Companion to Music: More than 8,000 articles on range of subjects: composers, performers, conductors, individual works, instruments and notation, forms and genres.

Print Encylopaedias

Encyclopaedias are shelved on the 1st Floor in O'Reilly Library and 2nd Floor in St. Patrick's Library.

Online Encylopaedias (available to the DCU Community)

Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy REP covers Anglo-American, ethical and political, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, continental and contemporary philosophy. It includes over 25,000 hot-linked cross-references between articles and new links to other editorially reviewed websites.

Encylopaedias freely available on the web

Key Reference Works online Oxford Reference Includes over 1 million entries across 25 subject areas from architecture to zoology. It offers the very best in quick reference information together with authoritative, in-depth articles by world-famous authors. It also offers excellent functionality, and a wide range of additional material such as maps, illustrations and timelines